In 1982 Dr. Omar “Chip” Crothers, a Portland-area orthopedic surgeon, was skiing at Sunday River and noticed that a patient of his, a six-year-old girl afflicted with cerebral palsy, was having the time of her life sliding down the slopes on skis.

Crothers got together with Les Otten, then the president of American Skiing Company, the owners of Sunday River, and together they developed Maine Handicapped Skiing.

The program got off the ground at Sunday River’s South Ridge Center, with eight disabled participants enjoying downhill skiing with the help of two volunteers. Today, MHS operates out of a single-story frame structure in Bethel, where participants are outfitted with their equipment and released to the slopes with their volunteer instructors for the Alpine sports of skiing and snowboarding.

The program has also expanded to Sugarloaf/USA, and the Nordic activities of cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing are offered to physically disabled people at nearby Sunday River Inn, Cross Country Ski Center and Pineland Farms.

Despite the name, the organization also helps physically disabled people enjoy summer sports like biking, canoeing, kayaking and golf, with a majority of the participants and volunteers living in the greater Portland area.

The MHS mission, according to Director of Development Wendy Iseman, is “to promote year-round education and training for individuals with physical disabilities in order to develop skills and provide enjoyment through active recreation.”

“Our hope is that with the experiences our participants take away with them they can develop self-confidence, motivation, increased physical strength and an improved self image,” Iseman said, “and also learn a sport they can enjoy with their family and friends.”

MHS, she said, has developed into the “largest year-round adaptive recreational program in Maine, attracting participants from throughout New England, Canada – even Great Britain. More than 1,800 adaptive winter lessons are provided each year by some 350 volunteers and staff, and just under 200 lessons in canoeing, kayaking, cycling and golf by 25 volunteers.”

Just what is learning to maneuver oneself over the snow supposed to do for the disabled participant? According to an MHS it will “create a place where disability doesn’t define a person but is just one aspect of life.”

I am one participant and I can attest to the success of the program. I was afraid that a 2003 stroke had banished me from the slopes by ruining my sense of balance. At the suggestion of my rehab therapist, I contacted MHS and am happy to report that I can ski without falling and I’m making new friends.

The lessons are free of charge and available to physically disabled people who are at least six years of age. Participants are typically disabled because of spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, amputations, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, polio or stroke. Some participants are vision and hearing impaired.

An adaptive lesson involves using equipment that has been adapted for the use of a participant. This includes such items as special ski platforms, boots and outriggers that are forearm crutches with ski tips. Summertime adaptive equipment would include such items as a hand-cranked cycle and specially shaped canoe or kayak paddles.

The volunteers benefit, too. Jim Turcott of Old Orchard Beach, who has been a volunteer for 14 years, reports that the program has given him another purpose in life.

“It draws you in. It is a great program,” Turcott said. “My wife Marybeth and I go up there every Sunday during the season. It’s a long day, up and back, but we look forward to it.”

Saco’s Peter Salsbury, with two seasons of volunteering under his belt, said participants and volunteers are “very supportive of one another. The mother of one of my skiers credits the program with helping him take on other problems of life. It’s a wonderful, wonderful program.”

MHS is funded by donations from individuals and corporations. About 65 percent of the money is raised in an annual “Ski-A-Thon,” held at Sunday River in mid-March. This consists of free skiing and a zany obstacle race for teams who raise financial pledges.

The summer program schedule for MHS and information about joining will be announced late in May. MHS can be reached online at www.skimhs.org, via e-mail at [email protected] and by telephone at 824-2440.